Tekton Electon/DI compares to what?

Any speaker manufacturer can make a good cost no object loudspeaker. What sets a really good company apart from the rest is when they make a great sounding speaker at a much lower price with cost constraints. I don't believe JBL fits that bill. AND no, I do not own Tekton.....

Cap, There is nothing on this page that can compare to the jbl Everest dd 67000 speaker's! At $75,000.00 a pair if I were you I wouldn't put jbl in some subpar sentence of inferior speaker's,  lol!

Soundermn,

When I ordered 9 weeks ago, I believe Eric mentioned there was some customer resistance to the 6" drivers. So possibly the marketplace gave momentum to a revision in the Electron? The impression I got was the performance of the 6" was very good, and can be ordered that way as recently as about 3 weeks ago. 

    LP 

The Electrons were a April 2017 release supposedly. I believe you can still order the Electrons with the 6" bass drivers. The cabinet will be 2 inches taller with the 8" drivers, as confirmed with Eric. I can’t imagine a lot of tweaking needs to happen. Maybe he will rename them and still offer the 6" version?

From what I've read and see on the Tekton website, the Electron is a fairly new release, originally designed to use 6" woofers. It seems only a handful of pairs were made. As I was doing my research I saw posts relating to a newer design that used 8" woofers. So I called and talked to Eric and he did indeed confirm he was still tweaking, and would now use the 8 inchers.

Or, others?  Terpstation?  lpretiring?  Is Eric updating the design on the fly?

cordobaman7 posts09-18-2017 11:43amYep, not going to anticipate they'll ship that quick. According to Karma last week, she said Eric was just finalizing the new design with the 8" woofers. She also said they received three other orders in the couple days prior to mine. So hopefully they now have enough orders to make a production run.

A new Electron design with new drivers?  Does this mean that Tekton does revisions to existing speaker designs mid-stream?  If that's the case, there can be different sonic signatures between multiple sets of the same speaker.  That doesn't sound like an optimal strategy... unless they have a different designation, like an mk2 or something.  
 
Do I misunderstand, Cordobaman?

Anyone has a pair in SoCal? I am intrigued by hearing the Electron or the Impact Monitors.

Thanks, Stefano

Terpstation might be referring to me. Last week marked 8 weeks since my Electron order was placed.

I really don't want them shipped to me until Eric is as comfortable with the finished product as he is with the D.I.'s at this point. Waiting weeks mean almost nothing compared to years of optimal performance.

I know with certainty that another Electron in waiting owner feels the same way.

   LP

     

Yep, not going to anticipate they'll ship that quick. According to Karma last week, she said Eric was just finalizing the new design with the 8" woofers. She also said they received three other orders in the couple days prior to mine. So hopefully they now have enough orders to make a production run. 

@cordobaman

don't hold your breath on just a couple of weeks for your Electrons.  Its been about a month since my order of Electrons.  Another poster on here just referenced it being 6 weeks or something since their order.....

Interesting comments. Things are subjective as ever!

To be slightly more qualitative, a reference of speakers people have used or familiar with would be a nice comparison, or reference point, even if still subjective :)

cap
I have a pair of DI's. Your characterization of them doesn't sound at all correct. Funny about that. I am wondering what the system components were that you were listening to? Mine have great bass, very detailed, everything controlled. Bass has been measured at 21.53 hz  so it is all there! Mids are wonderful and airy and the vocals are simply amazing.
Go figure!
Greg

@msommers 

I'll send you a PM. I've had quite a few amps through the years, some solid state, some Class D, and some tubes. I've heard the big brother to your Pass Labs amps, but not on the Double Impacts. I was very impressed with that amp, certainly one of the best solid state amps I've ever heard. No experience with the Primaluna amps, but I've read a lot of positive comments from owners.

I would really love to hear the XA30.5 on the Double Impacts. I bet it would be a sensational match! Then again, the 508ia is incredible as well.

@waltersalas 

Tried to PM but can't find a way on here...Really curious about your LM-508ia and what else you've had prior. I've got a XA30.5 pass labs amp and primaluna dialogue premium preamp.

thuhaile
I have a pair in Santa Rosa. All BAT system behind them. If you are interested we can arrange something,
Greg

Thanks for sharing your experience, cap. My own experience obviously aligns more closely with that of james_w514.  There are a number of people on this site who have also tried and loved the speakers. Again, audio is highly subjective.

What you have described in your session sounds nothing like the sound I hear with the Double Impacts in my system. Now I have heard them ONLY with my Line Magnetic 508ia, which is a powerhouse and produces the best bass I have had in my room, so I cannot speak with any authority about how they might sound with lower-powered amps. Of course, there are many comments on the Double Impact thread that are enthusiastic about the way these speakers sound with a variety of different amps, including very low-powered amps, so who knows?

As james_w514 says, the only way to know is to try them for yourself. You and your audio buddies had an experience with them, while many of us have had quite a stunningly different experience that has nothing to do with Kool Aid or pom poms. We tried the speakers, loved them, bought them, and continue to enjoy the spectacular sound they are bringing to our systems. That's it.

Goes to show how different perspective can be in this hobby. The description literally sounds like the opposite of what I hear listening to Double Impacts. With solid state I feel they do bass better than my Martin Logan ESL 15A’s + Summit X and they are one of the more engaging speakers I’ve owned. This is why it’s always a safe bet to demo something before buying, you just never know the result. 

Flat ! UN-engaging and lacked presence for their size. Three dimensional dynamics were weak..  Bass was weak but I will say it was a low powered tube amp. Albeit his two powered subs were overdoing their job until we all asked to demo them without. This wasn't a low cost set up..  This wasn't just me. All of us left un satisfied as we were told they were giant killers. One guy was told  he would sell his Wilson's after hearing/ My13 posts are from lack of posting here as its not a dedicated site for specifics..  I have... ,Not that it matters thousands of posts on a few audio forums..

 

 There is no bashing continue on your journey . BUT dont bash those who do not drink the Kool Aid  and HAVE heard them.

 Enjoy your journey.. They were not for me or the few who I respect either.. There is a pair near me that I almost spent time to go re listen to but time is money and I wasted enough of that already on them..
14 and out !
.

@cap 

Not sure if your post is directed at me, but if it was, my post was not directed at you. With your total of thirteen posts on this site, you do not post often enough to qualify as one of the Tekton Trolls, even with your enthusiastic use of all caps and condescending language toward Tekton owners. Try as I may, I cannot decode the rest of your post, which seems to have something to do with Bob Carver and pom poms.

You've heard the Tektons, it appears. That's fine. Your impressions are as valid as anyone else's, but no more so, whatever your audiophile bona fides may be. I didn't catch many specifics in your comments on the Double Impacts. What did you hear them compared to, and what differences did you perceive?

@msommers 

My Double Impacts are driven by a Line Magnetic 508ia integrated amp, a beautiful match in my opinion. I have a Lampizator Atlantic DAC, an Allnic H1201 phono stage, a Well Tempered Amadeus turntable with an Audio Technica ART-9 cartridge. My music server is an Aurender X100L. Cables are a combination of Teo Gamechangers and Cerious Technologies Graphene.

My room is 20 X 20, but open in the back. The front of the speakers are about four feet off the walls. They are about nine feet apart, and I sit about nine feet away.

I know some guys have them in smaller rooms, so maybe they will speak up. How big is your room? I am sorry if you mentioned this somewhere else and I missed it.

@waltersalas thank you for following up with me, it's appreciated! If I may, what other components do you have in your chain and approx. how big is your room and distance from tweet to listening position? Close to the back-wall are they placed?

The spatial restrictions have been leaning towards the Electron and even then they may too big. It sounds like I should give Eric a call and see what his opinion is since email is clearly not an viable option. I wish they would just say this like Andy at Vintage Tube Services does instead of leaving  a bunch of us hanging.

What part of" HAVING HEARD" did you Pom Pomers not hear????. Seems the same group of half dozen people who drank the Kool aid sit on hear and self regulate (Ill refrain from what was intended to be said, it just starts with a "M") and feed their need to prove to the rest of the American consumers "US". That we are fools.

 Sounds a bit self serving and narcissistic.

 There were tubes and top line DACs, battery powered and it was a reviewers personal room.
 YES I and many can tell in 1 min if I am gonna like a speakers sound.. This was not a NEW speaker but well broken in..

 SORRY put away your pom poms and say. MY ears like them and that's what matters.. DO not compare them to HIGH end lines and say THEY ARE >>>>> Killers.. Horrible marketing by the owner , IMHO, ASK Bob Carver if that worked..

 I personal talked to Bob and he regretted that to this day..

 Enjoy your speakers but seems disparaging any higher end design by praising these is a self defeating marketing method..

  BY THE BY, IM NOT BASHING  Tekton.. Just stating Mine and a few others who have well regarded systems and have attended many CES and shows with me

 

@msommers 

The Double Impacts replaced the wonderful Daedalus Ulysses in my system. Both are great speakers, but I felt that the DI had a superior soundstage  (the Ulysses sounded slightly "boxy" by comparison) and were  much more convincing with rock music. I compared them at length, and ultimately found that I simply preferred the Double Impacts with a wider range of music. 

That is certainly one priority with me. I also need to feel an emotional connection with the music. This is hard to describe, naturally, but I will just say that I can listen to the Double Impacts for hours with no fatigue at all. Their sound is mesmerizing and just "right" for me. I do not catch myself picking apart the specific characteristics of their presentation as I sometimes have with other speakers. It's just a seamless quality, with the right tone and texture and nothing really missing.

Other speakers I have owned prior to the Ulysses: Vienna Acoustics Beethovens, Piega P10s, and Intuitive Design Gamma Summits. All had very positive qualities, but I preferred the Ulysses to all of them by a good margin. I did not really expect the Double Impacts to unseat them, but they did. In my system, they're truly magical.

@waltersalas  What other speakers have you had and how do they compare? What would you say your listening preferences are?

@vitop What are the mini-Ulfs? I can't see them on the website? Have your speakers arrived? How did the DIs compare to the other fabulous speakers you mentioned? I've heard some Sonus Faber before and quite enjoyed them.

@malthuse If I'm ever out that way I'll be sure to let you know. Please report back once you have your monitors (I saw on CAM as well) and provide some impressions after some settling time!

@james_w514 Thanks James! If I'm out that way I'll be sure to let you know!

Overall I'm not looking for an in your face speaker, nor one that is too laid back as I find it boring. Something with a nice wide soundstage, excellent depth, moderately good bass (I live in a condo), detailed but slightly rolled highs and punchy midbass. I feel like with my tube preamp I can bump up the "lushness" in the mids if I want to.

Look, I understand the skepticism toward Tekton speakers and even, to a degree, some of the backlash over their "sudden" popularity. For sure, a healthy skepticism is a highly desirable quality in the world of high end audio. I was skeptical myself, but I had some time off this summer and just wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. So I tried the Double Impacts, and after a few weeks of breaking them in, I got it. In my system and to my ears and for my listening preferences, they are phenomenal speakers, and not just at their price point.

I can also understand how someone might not find them to be their cup of tea, though I would caution anyone trying them to give them a chance to settle in, especially if they are new, before making a final judgment. Measurements notwithstanding, there is an undeniable subjective element in what we like and do not like in sound, so if someone doesn't like them, so be it.

What I cannot understand is the persistent drumbeat of the four or five self-appointed Tekton detractors--all of whom admit to having never actually heard the speakers themselves--who constantly show up in Tekton threads to disparage the speakers. Skepticism is one thing, rendering a judgment on something you have no firsthand experience with is just ridiculous, and doing it repeatedly is...weird? Absurd? Foolish? Irresponsible? Take your pick.

Maybe the speakers and their relative affordability is somehow threatening to folks with a lot more money and ego invested in their speakers. I have no idea and don't care. Not my circus, not my monkeys, as they say. But those who are considering an audition of the speakers should be aware that a lot of the negative talk about Tekton speakers--at least in this forum--has been generated by these same few members, whatever their agenda or motives may be for posting repeatedly about speakers they have absolutely no experience with.

The OP is seeking input from people who have actually tried the speakers. What is so difficult to comprehend about that?

Agreed  Walter.   It amazes me that people have nothing better to do with their time than torch a given brand at every opportunity.  Imagine reading the thousands of posts on the DI thread just waiting for that perfect moment to inject some venom.  Get a  life!

I can't speak to the Electrons because I have not heard them, but I have heard the DI speakers and ended up ordering a set of mini Ulfs from that.
Speakers I heard were Sonus Faber, Wilson, Paradigm (both regular and Persona line), B&W, Martin Logan, Legacy Audio, and I'm sure some I am forgetting.

"I had emailed Tekton about a week ago about some product information and still have not heard back. Customer service is pretty important to me especially if I can't buy locally..."

 I found Tekton to be very responsive via phone calls.  I had made a couple of calls, having to leave voicemails, and the calls were always returned either by Eric or his assistant. They were courteous and answered all my questions, never tried to upsell me.  So today I ordered a pair of Electrons. They were upfront and telling me it would be a couple weeks before I receive them, so no surprises there. I'm really pumped to hear these! 

This is appalling. So immature. And yes a man being called a woman is a Massive insult in 2017 as it was in the day's of Eshoa.

I just ordered some Impact Monitors.  I'm in Vancouver Canada if you can swing by there, should be here in a couple of weeks.  PM me on Canuckaudiomart.  I also have the Harbeth shl5 plus you can try which I think are way better than the m30.1s.

I would greatly appreciate if only the folks who have listened to these speakers comment please.

Missoncoonery, some wouldn't know the truth if it stung them in the hindquarters. I continue to be impressed how much time people will spend and how many posts some members will make on speakers they have never heard. Some kind of pathology, I reckon. In my years in the hobby, I have never seen anything quite like it.

Sometimes the truth stings like a B....doesn't it walter,lol

I see the Tekton Trolls are out in force today. What's the matter boys? Slow day at the office?

It took me at least a week or more to fully appreciate DI’s so I certainly wouldn’t be passing judgement from a listen at some persons house. Of course the same could be said of many speakers.

@cap

So besides drinking Ripple. What was it that you didn’t like about it? How is this suppose to help people that are thinking about buying these? What kind of equipment was paired with it? Thanks

Having no dog in this fight other than "HAVING" heard the DI at a reviewers personal home and left like I was promised a Moet & Chandon   and left with bottle of Ripple

 I will say this Tekton owners are like Wilson owners.. Dedicated and will defend their speakers like their young.. Anytime you get a product for substantially lower cost, increases the desire to reaffirm its worth

 By the By, there were a few others with me who have anything from ESL to wonderful 2 ways to big Wilson's.. All of us were spitting out the Ripple on the drive out..

 Then again there are people who swear JBL or Cerwin Vega are great too

Other speakers I have on my list are: Harbeth 30.1, Audio Note E LX Hemp, Totem Sky Floorstander, ATC 19, Salk Silk series, Klipsch Forte III, JBL 4312SE.

You have some great choices to consider, ignore the silly hype on this forum and audition some of the above.

Ohh 213, you are a very silly lady

Oh my.....calling a man a lady...is that still considered an insult in 2017? 

Thanks for everyone's feedback and suggestions.

I had emailed Tekton about a week ago about some product information and still have not heard back. Customer service is pretty important to me especially if I can't buy locally...

Me too. I’d like to hear what the hype is about. Anyone in SF bay area?

I'm probably as much of a Vandersteen booster as the Tektoners here are of their preferred brand.  I for one would love to hear the Tektons to experience what all the allegiance to their sound is about.  Anyone in central PA that would be willing to host an open minded Vandy guy to hear your Tektons??

😃😃

Mofo, keep on boosting Tekton, maybe you can get them some more sales.  With your clown act, no doubt you were the entertainment at the kiddie tables.  Are you any good with making animals out of balloons?  

Wow. This Tekton thing has really gone off the rails. I'm glad I just became nothing more than a side line observer. Not sure if I want a audition now. I'm glad you Tekton guys are happy. Don't think I want to be part of it, though.....

mofojo,

"Do they make you sit at the kids table at family reunions?"

What about the requirement of a booster seat at restaurants?